This invention relates to a baler for forming large round bales of agricultural crop material, and more particularly to a control system for such a baler.
Balers for forming large round bales of agricultural crop material are well known and commonly used. Typically, large round balers are provided with a rather limited control system in which the operator, located in the cab of the tractor behind which the baler is towed, can control a limited number of baler operations using analog signals supplied to and from a control box located within the tractor cab. Analog sensor signals are supplied from one or more sensors which sense operation of one or more components of the baler to provide a signal to the control box indicative of the operation of the sensed component. Analog control signals are provided from the control box to the baler component for controlling its operation responsive to the analog sensor signals. In the advanced systems currently available, the control signals are output by a microprocessor located within the control box which controls baler component operation responsive to the sensor signals. In less advanced systems, the operator manually controls the baler component operation responsive to the sensor signals.
In such prior art systems, for each baler function being sensed or controlled, it has been necessary to install a pair of wires between the tractor cab and the baler. For balers providing a number of sensing or control functions, such wiring is extensive and results in numerous connections and an increased likelihood of failure. Further, the expense of installing such monitors or controls is relatively high since, for each function monitored or controlled, additional hardware and wiring is required.
It is an object of the present invention to significantly advance the state of the art in controlling operation of an agricultural implement such as a large round baler. It is a further object of the invention to provide a large round baler having an operator input module in the tractor cab and an implement control module on the baler, and in which a communications link is established between the cab module and the implement module for sensing operation of one or more baler components and controlling operation of the baler components in response to operator inputs to the cab module. It is a further object of the invention to exploit the advantages offered by providing a microprocessor-based control in the implement module to control one or more operations of the baler. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a unique means of monitoring one or more operations of the baler, and controlling the baler operations in response thereto.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system for controlling one or more operations of an agricultural implement, such as a large round baler towed by a tractor having an operator cab, includes an input device mounted in the tractor cab and an implement control device mounted to the implement and interconnected with one or more components of the implement for controlling one or more operations of the implement. The input device receives input commands from the operator, and includes processing means such as a microprocessor. The implement control device also includes processing means such as a microprocessor. A communication link is interconnected between the input device and the implement control device for communicating control signals from the input device to the implement control device, and for communicating monitor signals from the implement control device to the input device. In this manner, one or more of the baler operations can be monitored and controlled from the tractor in response to manual input commands provided by the operator to the input device. The input device is in the form of a cab module which includes an operator-actuated key pad and a visual display, and the processing means comprises a microprocessor with a programmable memory, housed within the cab module. The implement control device is in the form of an implement module mounted to the implement, and the processing means of the implement control device includes a microprocessor with a programmable memory provided within the implement module. The cab module and its microprocessor cooperate to provide signals over the communication link to the implement module microprocessor. For example, such signals may be indicative of a predetermined desired size of bale to be formed by the baler, and the implement module is interconnected with a bale diameter sensor which cooperates with the implement module microprocessor to provide signals over the communication link to the cab module microprocessor indicative of the actual diameter of the bale as the bale is being formed. In this manner, the cab module functions to provide an output on the visual display of the bale diameter as the bale grows, and to alert the operator when the bale approaches and has attained the predetermined desired size.
The invention further contemplates a method of controlling one or more operations of an agricultural implement such as a large round baler, substantially as set forth in the foregoing summary.
The control system of the invention is adapted to be used in connection with a round baler equipped with a twine wrap system, a mesh-type wrap system, or both. With a twine wrap system, a problem in the past has been uneven distribution of twine across the surface of the bale, due to the location of the pivoting twine arm relative to the bale. With the present invention, it is possible to program the implement module microprocessor so as to control the movement of the twine arm to ensure that the twine is evenly distributed across the surface of the bale. This results in uniform and evenly spaced distribution of twine onto the bale. In addition, in the past it has not been possible to accurately dispense onto the bale a predetermined amount of twine or mesh-type wrap material when the bale being wrapped is less than the full diameter. With the present invention, it is possible to accurately monitor the size of the bale when it is desired to wrap the bale with either twine or mesh-type wrap material, and to dispense onto the bale an accurate amount of twine or wrap material which provides the desired number of wraps of the bale as selected by the operator and input to the cab module, due to operation of the cab module and implement module microprocessors.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the diameter of the bale to be formed by the baler can be adjusted from the tractor cab. In the past, it has been necessary for the operator to exit the cab and make a physical adjustment on the baler itself to change the size of the bale being formed by the baler. With the present invention, the cab module and implement module microprocessors cooperate to allow the operator to adjust the desired diameter of the bale from inside the tractor cab. This is accomplished by the operator setting the desired bale diameter on the cab module, and this information is then stored in the cab module microprocessor. The bale diameter is monitored as the bale is being formed within the baler, and signals indicative of actual baler diameter are provided over the communication link from the implement module microprocessor to the cab module microprocessor. An audible signal is provided to the operator when the bale approaches and reaches the predetermined set diameter.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the cab module display provides a visual indication of bale growth as the bale is being formed by the baler. The visual indication is responsive to signals provided to the cab module microprocessor from the implement module microprocessor, responsive to the bale diameter sensor. The operator is thus immediately appraised as to the diameter of the bale as it is being formed. The display preferably also includes indicia informing the operator as to the predetermined desired bale diameter. The incremental visual display responsive to bale growth thus provides an immediate indication to the operator as to how close the bale is to the predetermined desired diameter during formation of the bale.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the bale diameter is monitored during formation of the bale by monitoring the position of a sprocket associated with the take-up mechanism, which functions to maintain tension in the baler belts as the belts move within the baling chamber to accommodate growth of the bale. Movement of the take-up sprocket corresponds directly to the size of the bale as it is being formed within the baling chamber, thus providing an accurate reference for monitoring bale size and providing a signal responsive thereto to the implement module.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the baler control system can be operated in either an automatic or manual mode, responsive to a command input by the operator. In the automatic mode, once the bale attains its predetermined desired size, an audible alarm is provided to the operator to indicate that movement of the tractor should be interrupted. The control system then initiates a bale wrapping operation, in which either twine or mesh-type wrap material is dispensed onto the bale as the bale revolves within the baling chamber. Once the desired numbers of wraps of twine or wrap material are dispensed onto the bale, a discharge sequence is initiated in which the baler tailgate is raised to eject the bale from the bale forming chamber. Thereafter, the baler tailgate is closed and a signal is provided to the operator to again initiate movement of the tractor to begin formation of a new bale. In the manual mode, the operator is first alerted that the bale has reached its desired size. The operator then provides manual inputs to the cab module to initiate the bale wrapping sequence and the bale discharge sequence.